But We Are Dating
by BeautyforAshes7
Summary: Castle 2X21 When Demming Asks Castle if he's with Beckett, he answers honestly and is then genuinely confused when she gets mad at him.
1. Chapter 1

"Castle, can I ask you something?" Demming met his eyes. "If there something going on between you and Beckett?"

"Well, we're dating." Castle answered, hoping the news would get the robbery detective to back off.

"Oh. I'm sorry. I wasn't sure." Demming said.

"It's new. We're still getting used to it." Castle took a sip of his coffee, "In fact. I better go find her."

"Yah," Demming agreed. "She's a good one. You don't want to let her go." Castle watched as Tom made his way out of the room, presumably heading back to his own department. He felt someone pull on his ear, shocked, he turned around to see a very angry Beckett.

"Dating?" Beckett expression might as well have shot daggers at him.

…

"Well, yes, Beckett." Castle said, pulling away from her. "I was merely answering a question."

She huffed. How dare Castle lie to Tom? She actually thought she might be interested in the robbery detective, but now Castle had ruined her chances and for what? To lay some claim on her that he didn't really want?

"Why would you tell him that, Castle?" Beckett asked, anger burning in her chest.

"Because we are dating, Beckett." Castle said nonchalantly, a confused look in his eyes.

"What?" Beckett stormed toward Castle, poking him in the chest. "We are not dating."

"Then what do you call it, Beckett?" He grabbed her hand, seemingly trying to stop the poking. She tried to ignore the shiver that ran down her spine when he held on a little too long.

"Maybe I need to use the murder board to explain." Castle pointed out. "Since you obviously are confused about what we've been doing the past few months."

"I am not confused," Beckett peered over to the murder board.

"Case in point," Castle wrote. "Two months ago, we went out to Remy's. You held my arm as we walked there. The end of the night, I walked you home."

"That was two friends going out, and you know it." Beckett argued.

"I paid." Castle shot back.

"You were making up for interrupting my date." Beckett said, knowing her argument was getting increasingly weak.

"Second piece of evidence," Castle continued, clearly ignoring her objections. "The week after that, you came over to watch a movie. We shared a bowl of popcorn."

"That was two friends, hanging out. That's it." Beckett countered.

"You let me put my arm around you." Castle argued back.

"I was…cold." Beckett said, knowing that she was losing her case.

"Third piece of evidence." Castle continued writing, but then stopped. "I won't write this down. But when you stayed at my apartment during the serial killer scare, you slept in my bed that one night."

"Castle…don't talk too loud." Beckett's voice cracked. "Nothing happened, remember? I only came in your room because I was having nightmares. It was merely one friend, doing another friend a favor."

"Friends?" Castle continued. "Really? That's what you are going with? Ok, which brings me to my final piece of evidence. Last week, you kissed me."

Beckett's face reddened as she leaned closer to Castle so no one could hear, "I did not!"

"Yes, you did, Beckett. Right after we went to that bar, you drank a little too much and I offered to walk you home. Before you walked in your apartment you leaned in and pecked me on the lips. I asked you if you were would remember it in the morning and you said, 'not that drunk, Castle.' Then with a little sway of your hips, you walked in your apartment." Castle folded his arms. "And that, Detective Beckett, proves that we're dating."

Beckett took a step back. She had forgotten about the kiss. But she remembered how all evening, she wanted Castle to make a move. When he never did, she assumed he wasn't interested. She must have decided to take matters into her own hands that night. It's a shame she didn't remember.

"Oh my gosh, Castle. We're dating." Beckett whispered.

"I told you," A smirk lit up his face.

"Do you want to be dating?" Beckett asked sheepishly. Did he really want this? Or was she only another conquest?

"Of course I want to be dating you." Castle looked at her like she was crazy. "Why else would I have spent the last ten minutes proving it was already happening.

"But…do you want something real?" Beckett couldn't meet his eyes. "Or are you going to run away as soon as we sleep together?"

"You caught me, Beckett. I thought I would spend a year shadowing you, with absolutely no physical contact. Then I thought I would go out on a series of dates with you, again with absolutely no physical contact. I thought I would introduce you to my family and let you stay with us, the whole time not knowing where you stood. But, yes, the only thing I want to do is get into your pants." Castle looked hurt and started to walk away, causing Beckett to put her hand on his elbow, stopping him.

"Wait, Castle. I'm sorry. It's just. I'm not good at this….relationships. Can we start over?" Beckett asked.

"By start over, you mean…" Castle paused.

"Let's go out, tonight. I want to have a real date. Then maybe, it can end like a real date should," Beckett lowered her eyes to Castle's lips then met his eyes as he answered.

"I'll pick you up at 7."

A/N: I'm considering continuing this to the date portion of the evening. It never fails to amaze me how professional, normally put together adults, can revert to 12 year olds when they meet the love of their life. It happened with my husband and I when we had the "I guess we're dating" moment. Plus, it always seemed to me that Castle and Beckett were dating in season two, if only they were willing to admit it to themselves.


	2. Chapter 2

Kate glanced at herself in the mirror. Her flowing red dress fell to mid-thigh, hopefully leaving just enough leg to make an impression. She had curled her hair and clipped it back, similar to the evening where her and Castle found themselves on dates with different people. That night had shown her more than anything how compatible they were together. But she never believed that Castle might feel the same way. Castle? Hmm…should she start calling him Rick?

"Rick," she said out loud, trying it on for size. It's not like it would be the first time she used his name. But calling him Castle was definitely more in her comfort zone.

 _Dating_. They were dating. As much as she wondered what it might be like to date Castle, she never expected him to actually want a relationship. The possibility of dating Castle scared her more than anything. Yes, he drove her crazy. But they were also so…compatible.

She thought back to the night at Remy's. _Their first date_ , according to Castle's "evidence." The conversation flowed between them so easily. Kate found herself wondering if this is what dating was supposed to be like. She never felt like that with a previous boyfriend. Even with Will, their first date had felt forced, conversation reverting to small talk more often than not.

With Castle, everything felt easy. While they discussed murder cases, she also found herself opening up about her college days and father's alcoholism. Meanwhile, Castle shared about his concerns over Alexis growing up and how scared he was when he thought he wouldn't write another book.

The growing comradery was what made this leap so hard. If she fell for him, if she gave him her whole heart, he could break it and she wasn't sure if she would recover from that.

She hated to admit it to herself, but Castle meant too much to her. Even in the short time he'd been shadowing her. He'd become a confidant, a friend…and now what? A boyfriend? An eventual husband?

"Get yourself together, Kate," She scolded. This was only the beginning. She was jumping the gun on all of it. Tonight would merely be a date, like any other. They would talk and laugh and drink wine.

But if it was only a date, why was she so nervous? Never had the prospect of a date made her stomach wind up in knots the way this one was. She wanted it to go well, more than she wanted anything in a long time.

As she heard the faint sound of a knock at the door, she made a quick decision. After all, she wasn't 12 years old. She was a grown woman for goodness sake. Not only was she going to go out on a date with a wonderful, attractive man that she truly wanted, she was going to take control of the date from the onset. Kate applied one last coat of "Vixen" lipstick and walked with purpose to the door.

…

No matter how hard Castle tried, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. He was going on a date with Kate Beckett. _He was dating Kate Beckett_. Not only was this everything he wanted since he met her over a year ago, but he never truly thought she would go for it.

She always seemed just out of reach and frankly, out of his league. But today? All of that changed. He left the precinct shortly after their talk and made reservations at one of the best restaurants in the city.

He even made sure the restaurant had big portions so they could thoroughly enjoy their meal. Heck, he would ask for multiple courses if it meant keeping the date going all night.

Because, tonight, Castle had a plan. He wanted to convince Kate Beckett they were so good together that they should be exclusive. Castle chuckled as he pressed the elevator button at Kate's building. _Exclusive?_ What was he, 12? He might as well ask her to "go steady."

But no matter what you call it, tonight he wanted to officially claim Kate Beckett as his. He didn't want any other Tom Demmings coming along and swooping in to steal his girl. He wanted to be partners in every way. He only hoped that Kate would go for it.

Castle briefly pictured what Kate could be wearing that night. He texted her an hour after he left the precinct, informing her of the restaurant's dress code. Maybe she was wearing that gorgeous red dress from the other night, or maybe even a different dress, picked especially for him.

He hummed as he made his way down her hallway, smiling at people passing by. As he spotted her apartment door, he momentarily felt fear. What if the date didn't go as expected? What if it went badly?

No, he couldn't get stuck in that line of thinking. Tonight had to go well, there was no other option. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

Not two seconds later, he was shocked by the woman grabbing his tie and pulling him into her apartment. Before he had a chance to say anything, Beckett's mouth was on his.


	3. Chapter 3

Kate felt Castle's lips linger over hers. His hands fell to her hips, pulling her closer. Every part of her thrummed with energy. _She was kissing Castle_. But before she could fully sink into the kiss, she felt him pulling away, his lips detaching from hers when a moan escaped her throat without her permission. Just as the he heard the moan, he grabbed her again, his lips bruising her with the best kiss she'd ever received.

They would miss their dinner reservations if she let the kiss go any further. She had to stop this. They needed to talk first. He needed to know some things before embarking on this journey with her.

Kate pulled back, "We have to go to dinner."

Castle didn't let go of her hips, planting kiss after kiss along her neck. Her knees buckled. "This works, too." He said between kisses.

Kate took a step back, effectively releasing his contact. "I want to have our date. I don't trust myself to keep kissing you."

Castle nodded. "Ok, but…wow, Kate. That was…unexpected."

She felt the blush rising up her cheeks. "I thought I should remember our first kiss, even if wasn't "technically" our first kiss."

Castle reached for her waist, pulling her towards him. "How am I ever going to stop kissing you now? It's like Pringles…once you pop…"

Kate rolled her eyes and quickly pecked him on the lips. "Really Castle?"

…

Castle held the door open for Kate as they made their way into the restaurant. He still shivered when he thought about the kiss. He certainly hadn't expected her to be so…forth coming. But he now knew once he'd gotten a real taste of Kate Beckett, he could never let her go.

This date would make or break them. He needed to convince her to be his girlfriend. Castle shook his head as he realized how juvenile that sounded. But he didn't care. She was worth it.

"I love this restaurant." Kate said, leaning into him.

"You've been here before?" Castle asked, his face dropping. "I was hoping our date would be the first date you've had here."

Kate smiled, her face lighting up. "My dad took me here once when I was a teenager. Before everything …happened, we would go on monthly daddy/daughter dates. He told me he needed to teach me how a woman was supposed to be treated, so I didn't ever settle for less than I deserve. So, this isn't my first date here…but I've only ever come here with men that are important to me."

The admission caused surprise and hope to well up in Castle. Kate was being more open than he ever expected.

As the maître d led them to their table, Castle pulled a chair out for Kate. "Allow me to be a gentleman then, assuming this is what your dad meant by a 'man you deserve.'"

Kate took a seat and made eye contact with him as he planted himself on the other side of the table. "Actually, my dad didn't talk much about chivalry. He more wanted me to understand I needed to date someone who was my intellectual equal, who could hold conversation and respect my mind. During our 'dates' we would talk politics and books. He told me holding the door open didn't matter much if the man couldn't hold a conversation."

"Good man." Castle smiled. "I tell Alexis something similar. She's a smart girl. Heaven forbid she ever brought home a guy who didn't see that."

Kate nodded and stared at him for a moment. The silence surrounded them, leaving Castle no choice but to dive in.

"I think you should be my girlfriend," he blurted, immediately chastising himself for how ridiculous that sounded.

Kate raised an eyebrow, "Your girlfriend, huh? I thought we were only dating."

"I want to be exclusive. I don't think we should date anyone else." _Shut up, shut up, Rick_. He thought. Why couldn't he stop the stupidity from tumbling from his mouth?

"Exclusive? Like you want to give me a promise ring and take me to prom?" Kate teased, obviously finding his juvenile word usage amusing.

"Beckett, I'm serious. I don't know why I said it like that," He grabbed her hand. "But I want you. I want us."

Kate's face immediately turned serious. "Castle, I'm not good at this…relationships. I'm not whole. My mom's death…changed me."

"But wouldn't she want you to find happiness?" He asked.

"Of course. It's just…you mean so much to me. What if this doesn't work out? What if being in a relationship destroys everything we already have?" Kate took a sip of her water, not meeting his eyes.

"What if we're amazing and it works out better than we could have imagined?" Castle needed her to understand how incredible their future could be if she would only give them a chance.

"You are always so good with words," Kate admitted. "Barring a couple minutes ago when you asked us to be exclusive."

Castle smiled. "Not my finest hour."

"I have an idea," Kate said, excitedly, a grin covering her face. "Let's make a pros/cons list."

"What?" Castle gave her a confused look. "Why?"

"It's perfect," Kate folded her hands. "If there are more pros then cons, we should date exclusively. But if there are more cons then pros, we need to reevaluate whether we should date at all."

"Beckett, that's not really what I was going for. Why can't you listen to your heart?" Castle knew he was begging now, sounding undignified. But he didn't want to lose the momentum he already had.

"My heart steers me wrong all the time, Castle. If I did whatever my heart told me to do, I would be buried in the evidence room day in and day out, figuring out my mother's case. No…the list will help me listen to my head. This way, we will make a wise decision instead of an impulsive one." Kate took a pen and paper from her purse.

"Fine," Castle grumbled.

"1. Pro: You are a great kisser," Kate smiled as she wrote on one side of the paper.

Castle leaned back in his chair. This could be a long night.

* * *

A/N: Next up, the rest of the pro/cons list.


	4. Chapter 4

"Con" Kate said, her pen moving to the other column on the paper, "I'm really bad at relationships."

"No," Castle disagreed, wanting to reel her back in, completely ignoring the food brought to their table ten minutes ago. "That's a pro."

"Castle, how is that a pro? Do you know how dangerous that is?" Kate continued writing it in the con column.

Castle reached over and grabbed the pen and paper, "Nope. That goes in the pro column. You know you're bad at relationships, so we figure out why and work to prevent the problems from happening." He decidedly wrote the answer in the pro column.

"Fine," Kate said and grabbed the pen back. "Another pro: You understand my work and won't be mad when I have to work late."

Castle smiled, "In fact…I'll probably be working late with you. Then after the long day is done, we can go home and …celebrate."

"Don't get ahead of yourself there, lover boy. Con: I've never been able to open up since my mother's death. I've always kept people at a distance." She started to write in the con column again."

"Nope," Castle disagreed. "You've told me all about your mother's death, so you have no reason to keep yourself at a distance. Write that in the pro column."

"Castle, I'm not going to write that in the pro column. It's not a pro." Kate whined. Castle had never heard her whine before, it was rather cute.

"Of course it's a pro. Your mother's death made you who you are and I understand that. We can knock down those walls together. Don't make me grab the pen from you again." Castle warned.

"Fine," Kate grumbled, "Writing it in the pro column. What about this? Con: You are a public figure, I'm not comfortable being in the public eye."

"Negative, Batman," Castle said, causing Kate to smirk. "Right now, people won't leave you alone because they wonder if we're dating. If we actually are dating, people won't have to ask. Thus, less interaction with the public."

"That's pretty thin, Castle. Even for you." Kate seemed reluctant to write it down.

Castle reached over and stole the pen from Kate again. "Beckett, why are you even doing this?"

"What do you mean?" Kate bit her lip, obviously avoiding the question.

"Why are you trying to come up with all of these reasons we shouldn't see each other?" Castle asked, pulling her hand into his. "I thought I made myself clear. I want you. I thought you wanted me to."

"I do," Kate admitted, her voice barely higher than a whisper.

"So, why are you trying to destroy us before we've even begun?" Castle tightened his hold on her hand.

…

Kate stared at Castle, a shiver running up her arm as his thumb drew circles on her hand. Why did she want to destroy this? Why couldn't she jump in with both feet.

"I'm terrified." She looked at the table, not meeting his eyes.

"Of what? Why are you willing to date guys like Will and Demming, but not me? Why am I not good enough?" Castle asked, the sadness in his eyes broke Kate's heart. She didn't want him to think either one of those men even remotely compared to him.

"No, Castle. You have it all wrong." Kate tightened her grip on his hand. "Neither of those men had the potential to break my heart like you do. Do you know how scary that is?"

"Why is it so dang scary, Kate?" Castle raised his voice, causing Kate to shrink in her seat.

"Because I'm in love with you!" Kate straightened, then noticing the other patrons looking over at them, she lowered her voice. "You could break my heart like no one ever has."

Castle moved closer to the other side of the table and took her lips with his. He felt one tear falling from her cheek. Pulling back, he wiped it from her face. "Kate, I'm in love you too. Don't you get it? We dive into this together and could destroy each other in the process, or we could have the most epic love story ever told."

"But what if…" Kate argued.

"No…no more negative what if's. Kate, we are doing this. What if we work out? What if we make it? What if in a couple of years, your dad is walking you down the aisle? What if someday we are chasing our kids around the loft? What if we grow old together?"

Kate leaned in as he placed his arm around her shoulders. "I want all those things."

"Me too," Castle said, his lips lingering on her cheek.

"Rick?" Kate met his eyes.

"Yes, Kate?" Castle answered.

"Take me home." She smiled. "I want to experience another 'what if' with you."

* * *

A/N: Well, that's about it for this story. Thanks for all the reviews and follows. This will probably be the last story from me for a while. I'm about to embark on a cross country move (husband's job) and then going back to being a full time mental health therapist. I've spent this year writing fanfiction to teach myself how to become a better writer and I've fully enjoyed mixing writing with one of my favorite shows.


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